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White Papers

A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that is often oriented toward a particular issue or problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to documents used by businesses as a marketing or sales tool. Policy makers frequently request white papers from universities or academic personnel to inform policy developments with expert opinions or relevant research. – wikipedia.com

9-1-1magazine.com provides news and links to relevant white papers of interest to the emergency communications and 9-1-1 dispatch community.

The IJIS Institute - a nonprofit organization focused on mission-critical information sharing for justice, public safety and homeland security - has released a new white paper, CAD-to-CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) Data Sharing. The IJIS Institute Public Safety Technical Standards Advisory Committee (IPSTC) created the white paper to assist the government community in their procurement of dispatch systems.

The CAD-to-CAD white paper reviews seven “standard requirements” requested in Requests for Proposals (RFPs) issued by government organizations. It discusses the standards and suggests if and how they apply to a CAD-to-CAD data exchange. The IPSTC white paper team found many RFP examples that specified standards that were not applicable, as well as applicable standards that were missing. This white paper is intended to pave the way for follow-on papers, each addressing other standards pertinent to CAD-to-CAD data sharing.

Mutualink's Whitepaper Details How FirstNet Can Better Prepare the U.S. for Crisis Response

The United States has an opportunity to incorporate lessons learned from terrorist attacks worldwide into the ongoing development and deployment of FirstNet (First Responder Network Authority), according to a new whitepaper published recently by Mutualink. “Lessons Learned from Global Attacks: How FirstNet Can Better Prepare the U.S. for Crisis Response” can be downloaded from here.

The whitepaper outlines recurring problems that have hindered law enforcement following crises around the globe and here at home, and presents solutions that can be addressed by FirstNet to better prepare and equip U.S. first responders for large-scale emergency scenarios.

Bridging silos that exist between public safety agencies to increase coordination and streamline response operations

“When terror strikes, an effective emergency response requires massive cooperation and information sharing among law enforcement agencies and federal, state and local agencies to eliminate the threat and minimize causalities. As FirstNet continues to move closer to nationwide implementation, let’s not squander the opportunity to learn from the tragedies that have preceded it,” the paper concludes.

Ian Clemens, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of IDV Solutions, LLC, has authored a new white paper on the 7 Principles of Highly Effective Command Centers.

Organizations who want to gain a competitive advantage in this risk climate will take away insights on how to leverage technology in their command center as they work to anticipate risks and minimize the impact on safety, operations, and business continuity. The paper and webinar also provide expertise on evaluating the value of command centers and improving them so that they become strategic organizational assets.

“Managing risk is of critical importance to enterprises, and best-in-class command centers are the ones that become an essential organizational asset that serves as the nerve center for ongoing risk management,” said Clemens. “Executives who want to elevate the strategic value of their organization’s command center will gain best practices to expand the command center’s role beyond protecting people and assets.”

With more than 20 years of experience in the technology and software industries, Clemens is an expert in command center software, operational risk management, interactive data visualization, and business intelligence software. He spearheads the vision for IDV’s technology and products, overseeing research, product development, and technology strategy.

The "FirstNet-Ready" Mobile Office: Top Considerations for Connecting First Responders

First-response mobile workforces face the most demanding and often dangerous work environments - they cannot afford to be disconnected from dispatchers and operations, even for a few minutes.

For reliable and responsive in-vehicle communications, many agencies are turning to the latest wireless technologies that have the capacity to operate both on today's networks, and migrate to FirstNet Band 14 LTE when it arrives.

Sierra Wireless has written a whitepaper to help you learn more about:

The critical factors you should consider when deploying a "FirstNet-ready" mobile office, and

The unique benefits of using a "FirstNet-ready", future proof multi-network gateway

The way that public safety agencies communicate is changing dramatically. Expanded citizen connections, improved inter-agency collaboration and a stronger public alliance are the new norm.

Motorola conducted a survey on the latest trends that impact public safety agencies of all sizes. The results reveal that the use of data-driven communications such as social media, text-to-9-1-1, GPS, video, and cloud technology, are growing rapidly. But there’s still work to be done.

Get the survey results to find out:

How 55% of public safety respondents say they are using social media

Why there’s a 300% increase of agencies able to receive text-to-9-1-1

Which trends are transforming public safety communications to improve community interaction

Click above to download the white paper from Motorola as a pdf file

Shaping the Framework For Drones In Emergencies

Remote Piloted Airborne Systems (RPAS), what we in the States officially call UAVs or UASs but on both hemispheres more commonly known as drones, are transforming the approach to emergency management. As a support tool, they can lead to quicker and more efficient interventions, offer enhanced situational information and provide direct help, such as dropping life-saving equipment. Howcan their benefits be maximized while minimizing risks?

In June 2015, the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) launched a Working Group on Drones, with the aim of analyzing the technical, legal and operational, safety and privacy aspects of using RPAS in emergency situations, providing the context for their use, and highlighting some key recommendations for their effective implementation.

The working group has completed its initial work and has just published a white paper on “Remote Piloted Airborne Systems (RPAS) and the emergency services.” The white paper is an important marker for using RPAS during emergencies, but more steps will need to follow. Among others, EENA will work on the compilation of an inventory of Use Cases where the emergency services are using RPAS. Moreover, together with our partners, EENA will evaluate taking the lead in creating an operations manual for the use of RPAS by emergency services.

For more information and to read the document or download it as a pdf file, please click here.

911 and Emergency Management: Best Practices for Coordination and Collaboration.

The National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA) releases a paper to promote collaboration and coordination between 911 authorities and emergency management authorities.

“911 people and emergency management people often do not work together as well as they could,” said Harriet Miller-Brown, NASNA’s president, “despite the fact that 911 is the primary means people use to get help during a disaster.”

“This paper is a tool that local and state 911 managers and authorities can use to identify practical things they can do to ensure that 911 becomes part of what emergency managers do,” she concluded.

NPSTC Report: Priority & Quality of Service for Public Safety in the NPSBN

The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) presents this report on public safety priority and quality of service (PQoS) needs and use cases for the 700 MHz Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). This new 95-page document, constructed through a collaborative effort between public safety users, government representatives, and members from industry is an update of a report originally issued in 2012.

With substantial support from public safety, the U.S. Congress has identified 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) as the access network technology for the NPSBN. This report is based on LTE as the public safety technology of choice. Where there is broad consensus on an LTE feature that is appropriate to a given need, this report identifies that feature and suggests an approach that meets the need; however, specific implementation details are intentionally omitted. The report captures key needs that will allow LTE technology to complement the existing public safety workflow and not detract responders from their mission.

Click on image at right or HERE to download the report as a PDF file from NPSTC

From the introduction by Chuck Wexler, Executive Director, Police Executive Research Forum:

The recent emergence of body-worn cameras has already had an impact on policing, and this impact will only increase as more agencies adopt this technology. The decision to implement body-worn cameras should not be entered into lightly. Once an agency goes down the road of deploying body-worn cameras—and once the public comes to expect the availability of video records—it will become increasingly difficult to have second thoughts or to scale back a body-worn camera program. A police department that deploys body-worn cameras is making a statement that it believes the actions of its officers are a matter of public record. By facing the challenges and expense of purchasing and implementing a body-worn camera system, developing policies, and training its officers in how to use the cameras, a department creates a reasonable expectation that members of the public and the news media will want to review the actions of officers. And with certain limited exceptions that this publication will discuss, body-worn camera video footage should be made available to the public upon request—not only because the videos are public records but also because doing so enables police departments to demonstrate transparency and openness in their interactions with members of the community.

In the wake of tragedies like 2007’s Virginia Tech massacre, the deadliest mass shooting to ever take place on U.S. soil, institutions around the country began enhancing their emergency communications protocols to include a more effective method for reaching an increasingly mobile population during a crisis.

This demand for more effective emergency communications led to a surge of Emergency Notification System (ENS) providers entering the market who, at first glance, appeared to offer almost identical capabilities. It was only after an ENS was implemented that system-specific defects and lack of functionality were discovered.

In a client survey of administrators from K-12 schools, higher education institutions, state/local governments and businesses, Regroup, a leader in emergency notification systems, took the opportunity to delve into the motivating factors that lead users to explore alternative emergency notification solutions. They posed the question: "Why did your organization decide to switch emergency notification providers?"

Find out the top five reasons your peers gave for switching providers by downloading the free white paper here.

GeoComm is pleased to announce the release of a white paper describing a successfully completed 3D and indoor 9-1-1 caller location mapping pilot project. Under an innovative new partnership, GeoComm and Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) jointly conducted research and development that produced a 3D and Indoor Tactical Mapping System capable of tracking location and movement of mobile phones on campus and inside buildings. The project combined highly accurate and detailed exterior 3D building models provided by GeoComm business partner Pictometry Inc., with indoor maps for buildings on campus created by SCSU researchers, and GeoComm location tracking and communications technology.

The pilot project follows NENA NG9-1-1 and IETF standards for indoor 9-1-1 caller locations that include sub-address elements such as building name, place type, floor, suite, room, and seat. In February 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed new rules to improve indoor and mobile phone 9-1-1 call location accuracy. In November 2014, the nation’s major wireless carriers and public safety industry groups reached a consensus plan for improving cellular 9-1-1 caller location detection both outdoors and indoors.

The GeoComm pilot project and white paper examines benefits, challenges, and practical considerations for 9-1-1 PSAPs and emergency responders, in advance of 3D and indoor location tracking improvements to the nation’s 9-1-1 system.

Click here or on image at right to download the White Paper as a PDF file

PowerPhone White Paper: The PSAP and Emerging Infectious Diseases

Call takers are the first line of defense in detecting situations that may pose harm to responders and the public. With the proper preparation and support, including training and call processing guides, this defense can be strengthened.

The normal role of a call taker is to perform a high level risk assessment, initiate a response, and provide instruction to ensure scene safety. Scripted protocols provide the structure for the early detection of risk factors and guide the immediate intervention. This method of call processing has proven to significantly enhance response and has increased the measures for the preservation of life and public safety. However, previously the focus of call handling has been on the recognition of priority symptoms or factors that pose an immediate risk. Screening for the risk factors associated with the exposure to infectious diseases slightly shifts this focus.

Public safety and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) staff know the new reality for 9-1-1 is that GIS will play a mission critical role in future systems. In an NG9-1-1 system, GIS will be the mission critical database utilized for location validation and call routing. With NG9-1-1, GIS personnel will be asked to support public safety needs to an even larger degree than in the past. Local and state governments will be faced with new challenges which will need to be addressed.

This white paper focuses on three on-going processes between GIS and public safety that need to be addressed in an NG9-1-1 system and goes beyond synchronizing the Automatic Location Identification (ALI) database and Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) with the GIS data. This includes:

Area of focus #1: Locally authoritative GIS data

Area of focus #2: GIS data aggregation

Area of focus #3: GIS support to ESInet and PSAPs

In addition, this white paper specifically looks at the importance of partnerships and collaboration throughout NG9-1-1 implementation and provides examples and lessons learned of two jurisdictions: the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and the State of Maine Emergency Services Communication Bureau (Maine ESCB) as they undertook their transition to NG9-1-1.

Click here or on image at top right to download the White Paper as a pdf file.

PowerPhone White Paper: The Power of the Positive Approach: Discovering the Potential of Your Team

Every call is a learning opportunity when the positive approach to quality assurance is used. Learn how to empower the call handler and achieve a higher standard of care.

PowerPhone held a webinar earlier this year on The Power of the Positive Approach: Discovering the Potential of Your Team. The white paper summarizes the webinar and addresses questions raised from your industry peers and answered by Heather Pierce, Professional Standards Manager, PowerPhone.

Read this white paper and:

Recognize missed opportunity from the negative aspects of quality assurance

Build confidence, competency, and skill through training

Appreciate the value of constructive feedback to promote continual improvement

Mutualink Whitepaper Addresses FirstNet Collaboration Challenges

The goals of The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) are challenging but achievable, according to a new whitepaper published today by Mutualink.

FirstNet was established to provide emergency responders with the first high-speed, nationwide network dedicated to public safety. Mutualink’s paper outlines the collaboration and interoperability challenges faced by states as they plan for FirstNet implementation, and presents specific, tactical solutions for overcoming them to achieve secure, real-time collaboration.

Operating during system impairments such as such as large-scale natural disasters, network outages, power grid failures, loss of data center, etc.

What is a Media Cohesion Framework (MCF), and how does it work?

A case study illustrating how one state’s LTE deployment could be integrated with the technologies and solutions presented.

“Mutualink’s solution, in conjunction with the FirstNet network, can solve many of the communication and collaboration issues faced by public safety and critical infrastructure agencies that FirstNet was created to solve,” the paper concludes.

Top 5 reasons you should know the role of the Spatial Information Function in NG9-1-1

Agencies across the country are beginning to implement NG9-1-1 systems that require robust, industry standard GIS. GeoComm has experience implementing these projects which include NG9-1-1 GIS Managed Services and recently released a SIF white paper. A SIF is a specialized form of GIS and is an important component of an NG9-1-1 system.

GIS data in NG9-1-1 is a mission critical asset and the accuracy and timeliness of GIS data updates is a growing concern. Through the implementation of a SIF, the continual GIS updates necessary in an NG9-1-1 system can be addressed. This white paper explains what you need to know about a NENA i3 SIF and the role of it in a NG9-1-1 system.

Motion Computing, a leading global provider of rugged mobile technology announced today a new whitepaper for healthcare organizations adopting electronic medical records (EMR). The Smart Way for Healthcare Organizations To Go Mobile highlights the best practices for selecting mobile devices and building wireless infrastructures that ensure HIPPA-compliance while enabling EMR and increasing productivity.

On January 1, 2014, a key provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 went into effect, requiring healthcare providers across the country to adopt and demonstrate “meaningful use” of electronic medical records (EMR) in order to maintain their existing Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement levels. Many healthcare providers are finding that adopting wireless mobile solutions are a must-have to more accessible and updated EMRs and streamlined workflow processes.

The decision to go mobile, however, brings new challenges, ranging from selecting the appropriate form factor to ensuring mobile devices and wireless communication are secured from unauthorized users.

Motion’s new whitepaper explores a variety of topics healthcare organizations must discuss to deploy the most effective mobile solution:

Enterprise Class vs Consumer-Grade Wireless Networks

How to Deploy a HIPPA – Compliant Wi-Fi Network

Are Purpose-built Mobile Devices Essential

Download the full whitepaper asd a PDF file here, and visit www.motioncomputing.com to learn how Motion is making mobility work in healthcare today.

Free White Paper: 2014 Emergency Notification System Checklist

Emergency Notification Systems (ENS) played a critical role in 2013. They were used in active shooter events, natural disasters and throughout hundreds of emergency situations. 2014 will bring new dangers and now is the time to evaluate your ENS to ensure your organization is best prepared to combat what may come.

Not all Emergency Notification Systems are created equal. The 2014 Emergency Notification System Checklist was created to provide you with a baseline for the standards and capabilities of a truly robust, capable Emergency Notification platform.

After reading this White Paper, available free from ReGroup, you will be able to gauge if your current ENS provider is the best fit for your organization in lieu of the past year’s trends in criminal behavior and advancements in technology.

PowerPhone's survey is the first to look at online learning as it pertains to emergency communications nationally. Based on responses from 1,200 dispatchers, call takers, supervisors, directors and managers, the results show an industry ready to embrace eLearning.

The Survey of Online Learning in Emergency Communications reveals that 68% of public safety personnel took at least one online course in 2012 and that number is expected to rise to 78% over the next year. And nearly all respondents (90%) felt online learning was important to their agency's long-term training plan.

"eLearning is not going away," said study co-author Chris Salafia, President and CEO of PowerPhone. "And for 9-1-1 – it's a game changer. It cuts down on travel expenses and shift coverage, increases reach and convenience, and if done right, can deliver exceptional, fully participatory training."

In fact, 80 percent of respondents agreed that a well-designed online course could be just as effective, or more so, than a classroom-based course.

Key report findings include:

The majority rated their prior eLearning experiences as about the same as face-to-face learning.

Overwhelmingly, the largest benefit emergency communicators cited for online learning was the convenience of anywhere, anytime training, followed by easier scheduling.

38% of personnel were asked to answer 9-1-1 calls and take online training at the same time, possibly because only 19% would be compensated for taking a course from home.

Participants thought that up-to-date audio and video were the most important elements of a well-designed online course.

62% of emergency communicators saw a significant improvement in knowledge following their online training.

There is a minority concerned that hands-on learning may be difficult to simulate online.

Stratus White Paper: What You Need to Know About Migrating to Next Generation 9-1-1 Technology

As mobile phone use skyrockets and texting becomes a preferred mode of communication, the 9-1-1 system needs to evolve to catch up. That's what Next Generation 9-1-1 technology is all about: updating the 9-1-1 infrastructure to allow today's mobile citizens to easily report emergencies by texting messages, photos, and/or videos to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). This capability will be instrumental in increasing public safety and in helping law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders get better information about situations in the field for increased preparedness, more efficient response, and better outcomes.

The Stratus white paper, What You Need to Know About Migrating to Next Generation 9-1-1 Technology, will help you understand what's involved in upgrading your Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to NG9-1-1. It provides valuable insights into:

What the NG9-1-1 initiative is all about, what's driving it, and why it's critical for ensuring public safety moving forward

Technology, funding, liability, and public education factors to consider before migrating to NG9-1-1

How to protect your NG9-1-1 system against unplanned downtime that can put public safety at risk

The U.S. Federal Government has adopted a “cloud first” policy that requires agencies default to cloud-based solutions whenever a secure, reliable, cloud option exists. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a three volume Cloud Computing Technology Roadmap and initiated a standards acceleration program so that best practices from the private sector can be used for government systems immediately, without a protracted standards process.

There is no credible reason to doubt that the cloud will be the predominant platform for public safety applications. Even legacy on-premise systems will be interconnected with a myriad of cloud-resident services including the NG9-1-1 communications backbone of emergency response. The benefits of scale and connectivity are not only economic but also functional. Shared multi-tenant systems really do enable public safety providers to do more with less… The benefits of the cloud will drive an urgent but orderly and methodical migration.

For more details, download the White Paper Cloud Computing in Public Safety, available for free from Interact Public Safety

New White Paper Assesses What's Needed for Improving Communications During Disasters and Emergencies

Eight years after the 9/11 Commission named interoperability as a serious problem for 9/11 first responders, and the Department of Homeland Security developed a communications plan for interoperability, there is still no inclusive national communications capability, according to a new white paper issued today by Mutualink, Inc. While various approaches have been implemented, none of them allows for a comprehensive network that includes the universe of relevant public agencies and private enterprises. Additionally, there has been a disproportionately heavy focus on radio communication rather than additional forms of multimedia such as video and data.

In the new paper, Mutualink states, “Despite a decade of significant investments and concerted efforts, pervasive communications interoperability for emergency response has remained a bridge too far with, at best, small pockets of interoperable communications ability existing among a few select agencies. Emergency events such as the World Trade Center attacks, the Columbine School shootings, hurricane Katrina, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Aurora, CO, movie theater shootings and a host of other natural, accidental and man-made incidents expose and will continue to expose the persistent and prevailing lack of effective coordinated communications between first responders and other emergency support organizations that are critical to responding to, mitigating and recovering from disasters. Perhaps we have been trying to solve the wrong problem, or maybe we have been trying to solve it the wrong way.”

Recognizing that the challenges in attaining a national interoperable communication sharing capability are “massively complex,” the white paper outlines the needs and sets a path to an inclusive resolution to this longstanding issue. Among the key requirements are an environment that respects the sovereignty of the owners of the various types of communications media required during an emergency, such as radio, video, voice, text and data files, the security of the network this media is being shared across, and the cost-effectiveness of the implementation. The paper may be downloaded here.

The D Block Spectrum Act – What does it mean to you?

As one of the final recommendations of the 9/11 commission to increase national security, the D Block Spectrum Act will enable the buildout of an interoperable broadband data network specifically designated for public safety use across the United States.

The network, called "FirstNet", will leverage the power of 4G/LTE broadband and stand as the platform to deliver unprecedented information and capabilities to first responders. Download the whitepaper, "D Block Spectrum Act and the FirstNet Broadband Network" and discover:

Key elements of the legislation

Benefits to public safety, utilities, and federal agencies

The impact to Land Mobile Radio (LMR)

The state decision process

What you should do now to prepare

This key legislation will affect every state and territory in the United States. Download this must-read whitepaper now to learn about what this means to you.

Western Pacific: Enhancing Mobility for Mission and Business Critical Mobile Radios Users

Mission and Business Critical users of mobile two-way radio systems demand Push-to-Talk communication capabilities that are always available and reliable, irrespective of environmental circumstances. To date communication between operators in the field and control room operations have depended upon the use of high power base station networks combined with vehicle based mobile radios to provide these essential capabilities over long operating ranges. Consequently this network design remains the communication backbone of users under critical, emergency and high pressure circumstances.

Despite the stakes involved with mission critical environments, users of these communication systems are exposed to significant operational gaps and a network design drawback: reliance upon the vehicle radio to remain in constant communication. Out of vehicle portables will usually not suffice due to range and power constraints combined with increased provisioning costs. Alternatively, users when out of the vehicle are exposed to the risks involved with being out of communication range.

Responding to these challenges, Wireless Pacific set out to develop a solution that would allow unprecedented levels of user freedom, mobility and safety, within land mobile networks without compromising the reliability, security and coverage required in mission critical applications, as relayed in this new White Paper.

CMAS/WEA White Paper Examines the Implications of New Federal Alert System

Wireless Emergency Alerts will warn of imminent threats such as tornadoes and child abductions without the need for citizens to subscribe.

Galain Solutions, a leading consulting firm in alert and warning practices and technologies, has released a white paper that navigates the new Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system, which will be operational beginning this spring.

Wireless Emergency Alerts are emergency messages sent by government agencies through mobile carriers. Government partners include local and state public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC and the National Weather Service. The official name of the program is the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) per federal regulation, but the name WEA has been adopted by the wireless carriers for public interfacing.

Nearly six years in development by FEMA, the FCC and wireless carriers, the system enables authorities to send Wireless Emergency Alerts to cell phone users anywhere, anytime. The new technology will be used to relay warnings of imminent threats to mobile phones using cell broadcast technology.

“This program represents a fundamental shift in how the public is alerted to emergencies,” said Rick Wimberly, president of Galain Solutions. “Not since the Emergency Broadcast System in the 1960s has there been such a broadly implemented alerting initiative.”

Strategies for Safeguarding the Mission-Critical Applications that First Responders Depend Upon

This White Paper/ebook provides PSAP Managers with the information needed to assure the availability of mission-critical applications and minimize the possibility of disruptions caused by server, operating system, or application failure. It describes the advantages and disadvantages of dedicated servers, cluster technology, virtualization and more in easy- to-understand terms.

A typical stand-alone server provides 99% availability. This translates to 88 hours of downtime per year. A computer crash lasting several hours could impact the ability of call takers and dispatchers to respond effectively to hundreds of 911 calls in a major metropolitan area.

It is no longer just the CAD application that is mission critical; it is also the applications and records management systems that provide the information that assures the efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of emergency response operations.

Your PSAP should not be satisfied with anything less than 99.999% availability for mission-critical applications. You will learn how it is achievable even for a small dispatch center with limited staff and budget.

Download this ebook to learn:

Why 99% system uptime is not good enough for

PSAP applications

What technologies can be employed to increase system uptime greater than 99%

The pros and cons of various uptime technologies – hardened servers, clusters, virtualization, high availability and fault-tolerance – in terms of ease-of-use, administration and cost

NPSTC's Broadband Working Group Publishes Local Control in the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network

As the long-awaited public safety broadband network moves closer to reality with the passage of legislation last month, NPSTC's Broadband Working Group (BBWG) has been working to identify public safety requirements for the nationwide public safety 700 MHz broadband network. Through the work of task groups, the BBWG is researching specific areas including voice, security, priority and quality of service, multimedia emergency services, and local control.

The Local Control Task Group focused on the amount of control local agencies should have in a national public safety broadband network. Because the actual definition of local control varies widely, the Task Group developed standard definitions. On February 27, 2012, the BBWG released, Local Control in the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, for peer review, which has since been approved and published.

The document outlines a User Entity's needs and expectations for its control of a nationwide public safety broadband network. For the purposes of this document, a "User Entity" is defined to be a public safety organization, federal, state, or local, that makes use of communications services from a "Broadband Network Operator."

Laird Technologies, Inc., a global leader in the design and supply of customized performance-critical components and systems for advanced electronics and wireless products, has announced that two of its Telematics & Wireless M2M subject matter experts, Director of Engineering Dr. Ayman Duzdar and Senior Staff Engineer Dr. Cheikh Thiam, authored a technical paper discussing V2V (Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)) antenna integration into existing automotive quad-band antennas. The paper was presented by Dr. Duzdar at the ISAP 2011 conference that took place in Jeju, Korea on October 25-28, 2011.

The paper, titled “Integrating V2V Functionality at 5.9 GHz Into an Existing Quad-Band Antenna for Automotive Applications”, addressed how V2V (DSRC) functionality could be added to modern automotive wireless systems without affecting other wireless services that exist in that same vehicle. The paper was a result of a joint research project with a major North American automotive manufacturer.

It further explained how a DSRC antenna was used in tests conducted by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Crash Avoidance Partnership-Vehicle Safety Communications 2 (CAMP-VSC2) Consortium. These organizations have been investigating if DSRC at 5.9 GHz can be used for automotive safety applications. For further details, the paper is available free for download on Lairdtech.com.

Cloud Computing and Public Safety Services White Paper

InterAct has published an in-depth White Paper that examines the company’s core technology: "Cloud Computing and Public Safety Services" by Dr. Toufic Boubez. Dr. Boubez pioneered the field of SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) systems as the Chief Architect for Web Services at IBM’s Software Group. While there, he drove IBM’s web strategies and authored several key industry specifications. He is also the author of several major books on SOA.

This paper introduces the reader to the application of SOA to the unique challenges and requirements of Public Safety systems. We’ve all heard a lot recently about Cloud computing services and how they will revolutionize information technologies. This paper compares InterAct’s SOA architecture with the industry’s traditional Client/Server architecture and highlights the capability, flexibility and adaptability of SOA to meet the expanding requirements of today’s Public Safety services.

A new white paper entitled "The Volunteer Immediate Responder & Damage Assessment Team: A Guideline for Developing Neighborhood Volunteer Emergency Programs” is available for sale from Neighborhood Preparedness Solutions, a new web resource dedicated to the concept of neighborhood "Immediate Responders’" - ordinary citizens operating at their own homes or businesses who are willing and able to provide the most timely action during those critical first few moments following an emergency, before the availability of government public safety responders (which, during a major event, may be delayed).

This report is about the five basic historical problems that still have not been adequately addressed and will suggest a surprisingly cost effective solution to early stage disaster response in America.”

For further information on the Volunteer Immediate Responder and how Neighborhood Preparedness Solutions can assist government emergency managers and civilians, see http://www.immediateresponder.org

Radio DiagnostX Technology White Paper

DiagnostX is the only system that can diagnose the health of a radio, over-the-air in real time, 24/7. This "first-of-its-kind" technology uses the airwaves to diagnose a problem before it becomes an emergency by capturing and analyzing a radio's transmitting waveform. Bench techs can immediately scan and evaluate radios without bringing them into the shop. Faulty radios come in for maintenance, healthy radios stay in the field.

This paper provides an overview of Locus DiagnostX, an innovative approach to Over the Air Bench Testing resulting in early detection of potential mobile and portable radio transmission problems, narrowband performance verification and diagnostics in trunked and conventional radio networks.

By way of uplink metrics, downlink control channel tracking, real time signal processing and time based characterization of radio signals; a picture of each radio’s health can be attained and reported upon. By pre-identifying radio transmission problems, the organization will experience a higher level of system performance and reduced maintenance costs.

DiagnostX makes these measurements on all radio control channel transmissions i.e. registrations, affiliations and PTT access messaging, while the radios are in service, in the field.

Data Center Efficiency With New Recycling Metrics

Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson and the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity, has released Recycling Ratios: The Next Step for Data Center Sustainability, a new position paper to help data center staff address a key sustainability issue: reducing solid waste. In addition, an online calculator offers a resource for learning about the approach outlined in the position paper.

While metrics such as power usage effectiveness (PUE) measure the energy inputs and outputs of data centers, the new position paper outlines formulas for measuring the material inputs and outputs, including everything required to run a data center, from paper and toner cartridges to IT hardware and supporting equipment. Recycling Ratios provides a method for measuring efficiency over time as a data center evolves from startup, to an initial equipment refresh around year seven, through eventual relocation.

“With organizations such as the Sierra Club promoting zero-waste policies, companies need an easily understood metric for assessing whether materials are handled in an environmentally responsible manner – and a tool for measuring progress,” said Jack Pouchet, director of energy initiatives for Emerson Network Power. “Just as our Energy Logic approach helped companies focus on reducing energy consumption, Recycling Ratios provides data center managers with ideas on taking sustainability to a new level.”

Building Support for E911 within your Organization

A new White Paper from RedSky

Building support inside your organization to implement E911 is an important task. There may be multiple stakeholders within your organization that will be affected in some way by the implementation of E911 and it is important to explain the project to them, identify how E911 will affect them and gain their support for the project. Not only does this approach ensure success in the implementation phase, but it is often the most important success factor in obtaining executive and financial approval to move forward with an E911 initiative.

This document will help you identify various organization that may exist within your enterprise that will be affected by an E911 project. The document will identify some of their likely concerns, helping you anticipate their response and equipping you with answers and suggestions to alleviate their concerns and gain their support.

Nortel White Paper: 911 — Where’s your emergency?

In North America, we have been taught to dial 911 in an emergency. The news is riddled with stories of infants and even pets calling 911 when help is needed. We also expect that whenever we do dial 911, emergency response personnel will be able to find us and send help without delay. This is true for traditional telephony in our homes, but what if you’re calling from inside an enterprise PBX telephone network, where many extensions, some with their own numbers and some without, all share common trunk lines?

What if you are a teleworker calling from your laptop VoIP client and you are not in your office? Will your emergency call go to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)? Can emergency teams find you? Will someone on-site be notified automatically?

This white paper discusses the technology that can be used to enable emergency response teams, internal to your company as well as public safety, to find these callers in the increasingly expanding environment evolving in IP-enabled enterprise networks.